A presidential candidate and his running mate peddle a demonstrably false, racist and xenophobic story about legal, hardworking immigrants from Haiti eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. On its face, no intellectually honest politician would repeat such an absurd story without a truth search. So why promote a lie? For perceived political gain on a favorite campaign theme. Result? A city under siege, with more than 30 bomb threats, school closings, the humanity of innocent Haitians called into question and a flood of state troopers called in to protect people and property.